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They both look at her. “Don’t tell me you have a hockey man out there, too?” Wren giggles.
“Yes, but it’s hush-hush. I just don’t know for how much longer.” She sighs.
“Your secret is safe with us, as long as you tell us who it is.” Elle grins as we all show our passes at the entry. Cindy eases us through like she’s been here her whole life when, in fact, I think she’s only been here when the guys come to town.
“I don’t mind you girls knowing,” she whispers.
I glance at her. “That took little convincing.”
She shrugs. “I’m kinda tired of keeping it a secret, to be honest. It’s Tyler Peterson,” she tells the girls. “We’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months. Now we’re trying to navigate our way around the whole ‘working for the same team’ thing and the drama that goes with it. There is a clause in our contracts about fraternization.”
My eyes grow wide. “No shit?”
“OHMYGOD, he’s so cute!” Elle gushes, totally bypassing the last part of Cindy’s spiel.
“He’s very cute,” Wren confirms. “Sounds like you two are taking all kinds of risks. I love it.”
“Yeah, we have been lately. That’s why we have to be careful. I’m almost ready to brace things with my Dad,” she says as we walk through the busy hallway with kids from the school bustling around in every direction. “He’s the Coach of the Seattle Hawks,” she tells them, in case they’re not up to speed. “And I work in accounts and do some PR for the team, so it’s quite a major conflict of interest with Tyler being captain.”
Both of their eyes are as wide as each other.
“Sounds like it,” Wren surmises.
“Yeah, it is. I just don’t want to get him into trouble. He’s the captain, so he has to do everything by the book. I mean, I’d leave the team if it meant?—”
I stop walking for a moment as we reach the entry for staff to enter the rink.
The star players are having a PR press conference and taking backstage photos before the game, so we won't get to see them until later.
“You’d quit your job?”
She shrugs. “I’m nuts about Ty,” she says.
“That’s so sweet!” Elle croons. “He must be a great guy.”
“He’s the best.” Cindy swoons right back at her. “And a little possessive, which I love.”
“Have you slapped the salami yet? You must have?” Wren blurts out.
I shake my head, exasperated. Her mind is definitely always on the salami.
“Actually, no,” she says.
We all stare at her as she leads the way down to the players’ bench. It’s much noisier out here, and it kind of reminds me of the Seattle game, though it’s nowhere near as packed or as crazy. The place is filling up, though.
“What?” I choke out. “You’ve been seeing him for months, and he hasn’t laid a hand on you?”
“I wouldn’t say that exactly,” she whispers like anyone could hear anyway.
“What would you say?” I press for more information before the game starts.
“Well, we wanted to make it special. I’m kind of traditional. I’ve never done the casual thing before. I need to know it’s going somewhere before I sleep with him.”
“Are you staying together while you’re here?” Wren asks. I know in her tone she’s getting more and more intrigued by Cindy’s situation, and the fact she still hasn’t slept with the guy she’s crazy about after months and months.
“Yeah, we’re sharing a hotel room tonight,” she sighs. “I’m kind of nervous. Surely, he’s going to expect something.”
“What have you done with him so far?” Elle asks, not caring one bit how personal that might be for someone she just met.
